


Trick or Treat

by Rebekah_Zellers



Series: Tadpole Series [4]
Category: NCIS
Genre: Halloween, Original Character - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-17
Updated: 2018-09-17
Packaged: 2019-07-13 16:02:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16021286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rebekah_Zellers/pseuds/Rebekah_Zellers
Summary: Tad's First Halloween........ time to trick or treat





	Trick or Treat

"Uncle Tony?" Tad called to his uncle from under the display rack in the costume section of the store. Getting no answer, he decided to pull out the big guns. "Daddy!" He yelled loudly with a slight cry mixed in.

 

"Hey," Tony got down on the ground to find his boy. "What's wrong?"

 

"I want to go get pizza," Tad pouted. "I don't like this store."

 

"You don't want to pick out a costume so you can go trick or treating?" Tony questioned as he picked up the little boy.

 

"I don't know what that is all abouts," Tadpole was so serious. "I don't think it is for kids."

 

"Oh boy," Tony's eyes got really big as he exaggerated his reaction. "Not for kids? Are you kidding me dude? It's the coolest thing ever! You dress up and go to a whole bunch of houses and say trick or treat and they give you surprises."

 

"Why for?" Tad looked so confused.

 

"Well," Tony tried to figure out how to explain the holiday. "A really long time ago children and people that didn't have much money used to go door to door. They would sing and say prayers for people that had gone to heaven and because they did that people would give them treats as rewards."

 

"Really?" Tad was so intrigued by the story. "What kinds of rewards?"

 

"Well they would get cake and cookies some would give them candy," Tony smiled as Tad snuggled close. "If they didn't give them a reward they would play a joke on the people."

 

"Really?" Tad hugged Tony tight.

 

"Yep, really." Tony started going through the costumes again as Tad snuggled. "Do you want to go dressed up as a doctor?"

 

"No," Tad shook his head. "Peoples be afraid of me."

 

"Good point," Tony smiled as they looked at all the costumes finally settling on a very cool Darth Vader costume. "You are going to look so cool, man."

 

"Can we take the pizza home so grandpa can see my costume?" Tad was playing with the mask as they stood in line to pay. "Well, I think we can have grandpa join us; he's across the street at the doctor's office.

Walking across the street to see how much longer Gibbs was going to be, Tony was surprised to find his father figure sitting in the waiting room looking a little worse for wear. "What's wrong?"

"Ducky got called away," Gibbs sighed. "I was just waiting for him to come back."

"You want to try that again?" Tony wasn't buying Gibbs' story.

"Grandpa?" Tad crawled carefully in Gibbs' lap. "Lay it on us!"

"The doctor doesn't think that I will improve anymore," Gibbs shrugged. "I've improved as far as I am going to and seizures are going to continue to be a problem."

"Keep Tad with you," Tony leaned over and kissed the little boy. "I'll be right back."

Walking up to the receptionist, Tony was able to get a couple minutes with the doctor. By the time he returned; Thaddeus had cheered Gibbs up with his antics. Walking past the receptionist, Tony stopped for a moment to regard her. "Thank you for your assistance; I will be back to pick up Gibbs' medical records on Friday."

"Pick up my records?" Gibbs was confused.

"Yes," Tony smiled. "Let's go get some lunch."

"YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM," Tad growled. "I love pizza."

"Gunny," Dr. Reynolds came out from his office. "Your son is right; I do not have enough current knowledge of your type of condition to help you move further. You deserve someone that is more up on the current treatments and options available."

"Thank you," Gibbs shook his doctor's hand. He was a bit overwhelmed by the extent that Tony went to in order to make sure he was getting the best of care.

"What's a Gunny?" Tad questioned as they were walking out of the doctor's office.

"Gibbs is," Tony answered with a laugh at the look of confusion that Tad gave him. "Gibbs was in what they call the Marines and he was so, very brave that they called him a Gunny."

"What did he do in the Marines?" The little boy asked.

"He helped protect all the people in the whole world." Tony smiled as he watched Thaddeus process all the information.

"You was a hero!" Tad smiled brightly.

"How do you know about heroes?" Gibbs questioned.

"Abby-tales says that a hero is a person that poe-tects bunches and bunches of peoples and does good things." Tad reached carefully for his glass of water to get a drink. "I think you and my daddy was both a hero."

"You do?" Tony was so moved by the little boy.

"Yep," Tad nodded. "Abby-tales says you saved the whole world from bad peoples. You saved me from bad peoples."

Before Tony or Gibbs could say anything the pizza arrived and the little boy was so engrossed in eating his favorite food that the conversation was lost. By the time they were done, Gibbs seemed more settled and relaxed than he had been earlier.

"I should have told you what I was doing first," Tony started to apologize.

"Don't ever apologize for being a good son," Gibbs whispered. "There is no reason."

The guys returned home and started to prepare for trick or treat the next day. Gibbs watched as Tad looked around at the pictures in family room. He was studying them with great intent and Gibbs was very intrigued to know what was going on in his mind.

"What are you doing?" Gibbs questioned as he picked up the little boy.

"I was seeing what a grandpa hero looks like." Tad smiled as he pointed at a picture of Gibbs in his dress blues. "Yous very good looking."

"Thank you," Gibbs laughed as he took Tad closer to see the picture. "Would you like to see my uniform from when I was a Marine?"

"Yes!" Tad was all wiggly with excitement.

Taking the little boy to the storage room, they found the box with Gibbs uniform. They were playing dress up with his dress blues and camouflage when Tony went looking for them to carve pumpkins.

"What is we going to do?" Tad questioned as they walked to the kitchen. As soon as he saw the pumpkins, his face was full of wonder. Tony had all sorts of things set out to decorate pumpkins with.

"We can carve them or paint them." Tony explained. "I'm going to carve mine; Gibbs is going to carves his too. If you want to draw a picture on yours we can paint it or we can cut it all out."

"I want mines carved likes yous." Tad smiled as he picked up the marker and gave a great deal of thought to what he wanted his pumpkin to look like after watching Gibbs and Tony draw out theirs first.

With his picture drawn on his Tad was ready for them to start the carving. When Tony carefully cut the top off and started to scoop out the insides of his, Tad was horrified.

"What is you doing with the guts?" The little boy exclaimed with his hands over his eyes. "You didn't have to kills it."

"I didn't hurt it," Tony explained. "It can't feel this, baby. I promise."

"Kid is such a softie." Gibbs said with a smile. "These pumpkins are the kind you use for making fun stuff it doesn't hurt them."

"Okay," Thaddeus sat with his eyes covered. "I can't watch."

Soon the pumpkins were carved and they took them out to the porch for display. Ducky and Celeste came to see the pumpkins along with Breena and Palmer.

"Aunt Breena," Tad snuggled up with her on the porch swing. "Is the baby smushed in there?"

"Nope," Breena smiled. "The baby is really little so there is plenty of room. Do you want to feel the baby kick?"

"I can feels it?" Tad's eyes grew as Breena held his hand to her tummy and let him feel the baby kick and move.

"That feels funny!" Tad giggled before getting really serious. "Baby listen to your tuzzin it's not nice to kick so don't kick Aunt Breena no mores!"

"That is a very good lesson to teach the baby," Palmer praised. "When the baby is big enough we'll have to teach it that the only thing you kick is what?"

"A ball!" Tad giggled.

"That's right!" Palmer praised as he snuggled up by his wife and nephew. "Do you have your costume for trick or treating?"

"Yes," Tad nodded. "I goes to be Darth Vader."

"No way!" Palmer was very dramatic. "I always wanted to be Darth Vader! That is so cool"

Giggles filled the air as the family sat enjoying the fall evening. "We'll see you tomorrow evening; we are all going trick or treating with you."

Thaddeus was still unsure about the whole trick or treating bit but everyone seemed really excited about it so he would try to do it for them. The next evening came quickly and pretty soon the gang was coming in dressed in their costumes. One look at the costumes and the little boy was a bit scared; nobody looked like the people he knew and loved.

"You okay?" Palmer questioned as he saw the little boy's eyes fill with tears and noticed he was shaking.

"I don't like this," Tad whispered in his ear. "They make me scared."

"Me too," Palmer whispered. "We have to be really brave."

"Like a hero?" Tad questioned.

"Exactly," Palmer smiled. Being pulled by his nephew down the hallway, Palmer didn't question the little boy too much when he asked for help putting on his costume.

It took a little longer than anticipated but Palmer soon came out of the bedroom carrying the little boy on his hip with a huge smile on his face.

"Well hello there," Gibbs sat down and pulled the little boy close to him. "You look very handsome, Gunny."

"I'm handsome and brave," Tad smiled as he pushed the hat back up on his head. "Let's go; we have lots of prayers to say tonight."

"Prayers?" The whole room turned to look at the little boy.

"Oh my," Tony sighed. "I explained to him how they used to do Trick or Treat; he must have taken it to heart."

The group had hoped that after Thaddeus watched his friend Cameron at the first house they came to that the little boy would just do as his friend did. Walking up to the door with Tony behind him, Tadpole knocked gently on the door.

"Why hello," The elderly woman smiled at the little guy. "You are one very brave marine." Placing the candy in his pumpkin, the elderly woman smiled and started to close the door.

"'Scuse me," Tad called to her. Reaching in his pumpkin, he handed back the treat the nice lady had given him. "Do you have any special prayers that needs God to hear?"

"Well," the woman thought for a moment. "Do you think you could pray for God to watch over the children tonight?"

"God it's me Thaddeus Gabrielle Paddington DiNozzo; please watch the children tonight thank you." With his prayer said, Tad held out his pumpkin for his treat.

Returning the treat to the pumpkin the elderly woman looked down at the little boy with tear filled eyes. "He is so precious."

"Thank you," Tad smiled as he wrapped his little arms gently around the woman to give her a hug. "Trick or treat."

House by house the scene repeated and the neighbors were moved by the spirit of the little boy. By the time trick or treat was over, Thaddeus had only filled his pumpkin one time while his friend Cameron had filled his six or seven times.

"You didn't get much candy," Tony said softly as he looked at Tad's stash compared to Cameron's stash.

"That's okay," Tad smiled. "I got lots of hugs and those are much better!"

"You are my hero little boy," Tony said softly as he picked up his little Gunny and carried him home.

"Yous is mine daddy! " Tad hugged his uncle tight as he waved to the rest of his family that tagged behind their faces full of pride at the actions of the little boy.


End file.
